All posts by: Brenda McDearmon

If you're spending a few days in Austin or you're planning your next date night, you might want to check out my list of 5 outstanding places for patio dining near the Capitol.
One of the very best, most wonderful and amazing things about the Texas Hill Country is the ease with which we enjoy dining outside. Morning, noon and night for almost three-fourths of the year, people eat on the patio, on a balcony or on a blanket at a park.
People say that's because of the bats.
The bats eat the flies.
At least that's what they told

No one who enjoyed a cup of coffee in 1888 would have been drinking it while strolling down Congress Avenue.
The paper cup wasn't even invented until 1907.
Before a man named Walter Cecil developed his patented version in 1936, there was no paper cup with a handle on it. And then it wasn't until 1964 that fresh coffee was sold in to-go cups, when 7-Eleven on Long Island, N.Y., became the first chain of convenience stores to sell it.
Photo (1888) courtesy Texas State Historical Association. Read more about of the

I don't know why we said it, do you?
Why, in the 70's did we emphasize important statements by starting with: "Man!"
Man, that test was so hard!
Man, look at that green Camaro!
Man, I can't wait 'till summer!
Stuff like that.
Well, even though I LOVE men, especially mine, and even though I so want to energetically emphasize my next statement, it just seems a little, well, off, or even off-putting, to say, "Man! We had the best girlfriends' weekend!"
See what I mean?
So maybe I could say, "Wow!" (nope, that's overused) or

Nehemiah built that wall.
Did that kinda make you laugh? I really hope so.
Ok, sorry. Let's get on to the story of Nehemiah. Let's get serious here. No more jokes. I promise.
Let's review.
Our last verse took us up to the point in Israel's history when Cyrus, king of Persia had overthrown the Babylonian empire and began to allow the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity. In Ezra 3:11, we memorized the words that spoke of the people's worship when the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Celebrating Valentine’s Day with those you love is a sweet treat, no matter where you do it. But if you want to spend a little time discussing life and love over a fabulous dinner at an upscale restaurant where the service is always stellar, try one of these fine Austin establishments.
I personally recommend each and every one!
The Capital Grille
If there is anything not to like about The Capital Grille, I've yet to find it. Although you will be plenty happy with your choice of any spot on this list,

Have you ever been homesick?
I remember when I was first old enough to spend the night away from home. I packed a bag with my favorite jammies, tucked in my toothbrush and couldn't wait for my mom to pull the car into the driveway at my friend's house.
It was all kinds of fun until the sun went down and it got dark outside. Then my stomach started feeling a little queasy, and I wondered what my mom and brother were doing at home.
When the book of Ezra opens, it was 538 B.C., and God's people were plenty homesick. For 70 years,

Living in Austin is fun for a jillion reasons, not the least of which is the abundance of fantastic restaurants around here. As one of our friends says, "When people ask me what's my favorite Austin restaurant, I usually say it's the last one where I ate. They're ALL so good!"
There are plenty of restaurants to choose from after a sunset Bat Cruise on Lady Bird Lake.

Here are some new and some coming soon eateries to the Austin foodie scene. The only dilemma will be deciding which one to try first!
Let's start

Two friends, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, call themselves The Minimalists, and they are definitely making a minimal name for themselves. Armed with many minimal maxims, these two are making a hefty minimal impact on the world around them, and their message is especially popular with millennials.
There's a reason for that.
I saw The Minimalists a few months ago when they were here in Austin putting together a podcast on their favorite topic. It was lots of fun, and they even took questions from the

"Eating Soup. Thick soup served in a soup dish is eaten with the soup spoon. If you want to get the last bit of it, there is no impropriety in tipping the dish away from you in order to collect it at the edge. Indeed you are paying a subtle compliment to your hostess by this demonstrating how good it is. Drink thin soups and bouillons served in cups, as you would tea or coffee, but if there are vegetables or noodles left in the bottom, eat them with the spoon, rather than struggle unattractively to make them slide from the cup

Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different.
- C.S. Lewis
How would you describe the past year of your life?
Were the last 12 months long and difficult - or short and sweet? Did they creep by or fly like the wind?
Here are my Top 10 experiences from 2016. I'm hoping that when you see mine, you'll fondly reflect upon your own.
Maybe you'll laugh about something funny you'd forgotten, or perhaps you'll breathe a sigh of relief that you made it through that thing. You know